


Soul Song

by illuminousink



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, ChanSoo - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:13:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23697538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illuminousink/pseuds/illuminousink
Summary: A not so typical Soulmate AU where once a person meets their soulmate, they will hear a melody that can never be replicated. This melody serves as a connection between their souls.---Where Chanyeol, a music producer, once heard a song that he could never forget. His passion to recreate the same melody that brought him endless joy and happiness leads him to its source.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55
Collections: Souls Bound by Destiny





	Soul Song

There is always a certain melody that starts the moment our hearts beat. Thumping its way to provide blood throughout our bodies. But sometimes, people hear more than just the usual thumping that booms from our chest. Those people hear this pleasant melody that pulls them closer to each other as if notes magically appear between to connect their gap into a song that binds them for life. Such a melody is called a Soul song.

No matter the tune, it has always been a beautiful melody that only two people share. No matter how much others listen, they will never hear what they aren’t meant to. And thus, people started listening. Hoping that one day they’ll hear that certain melody that would bind them into a happy composition.

Chanyeol has always had a great affinity for music. A prodigy of his generation where musical notes naturally found themselves drawn to him. Music has always been what he made best and yet he’s never felt satisfied no matter how many compositions he’s made.

No matter how many melodies he manages to conjure, there was still something missing. It wasn’t just a note but a melody that plagued his mind and continuously played even after years of when he last heard it. He said that he heard it many years ago when he was but a child.

Born into a loving family, he was raised as the most precious child by his parents alongside his sister. And though his parents were loving and pure with their intentions of helping him reach his dreams in life, the hard truth behind the life of a musician was something that he didn’t anticipate.

It was a ruthless world where musicians fought by the use of their music and it ate him bit by bit. As a known prodigy, high expectations were on his shoulders and heavy pressure suffocated him. His usual world filled with love and care was tainted with the gripping horrendous reality that the world will never spare you unless you have something to offer it. 

He was a strong lad, filled with hope and an abundance of smiles. But sometimes, there are those moments when he looks for an escape. An escape where the chains of reality couldn’t reach him, which, in his case, was a garden maze that he found behind the musical institution where he grew up.

It was one of those nasty days where he just wanted to be alone and release all the burden he carried, so he headed there and that’s when he heard it. A solemn melody that brought tears into his eyes. It was sad yet it blossomed satisfying feeling inside his heart. Listening to it was the most soothing thing in the whole world and since then, he was determined to lay it into notes to produce it for others to hear.

Years. It took him countless years but no matter how many awards and compliments he received; he couldn’t remake the sound that he has always wanted to make.

So when he heard that very same melody while helping his friend in the music institution he grew up in, he was determined to know where it originated from. He wanted to find out what the notes were and how they managed such a perfect melody. 

How did they make it?

What was their inspiration?

What instrument was it?

Although he tried his best to look for an instrument or a sound system where the melody came from, he never found one.

Instead, he found this rather small man who seems to have come from the high heavens with his milky white skin that angels probably paled in comparison to. His beauty was unexplainable and mere words were never enough to describe him. He watched as the guy smiled with perfectly heart-shaped lips that complimented his starry eyes.

Moments like this become hazy in Chanyeol’s mind and then he loses his focus and his instincts of knowing the reasons behind his questions override everything in his system.

“Uhm… Excuse me…” The other man uttered, stepping away from the giant that had hovered over him. At that moment, Chanyeol realized that his face was already inches away from the smaller and his mind just froze at the sudden realization.

Beautiful dark orbs looked questioningly at Chanyeol. Though the taller didn’t hear words come out of the smaller’s lips, he knew that he was probably freaking out about what just happened.

Seeing the other’s reaction, Chanyeol’s mind scolded him for forgetting to give the man his personal space, a bad habit he’s always been known for when his curiosity enters its peak. He’s always been one who would cross boundaries to discover the answer to his questions. Piecing it together wasn’t enough. He needed to know what each piece was, and he needed to know what the whole picture looked like. In this case, he needed to know how the smaller was able to produce such a magical melody that drives Chanyeol’s heart into a crazy fit of comfortable yearning.

“S-sorry… You…” Words seemed far off from Chanyeol’s mind, at that moment, because all he could think about was the melody that came from the heavenly being that stood in front of him. His tongue was tied, and he couldn’t even pull his gaze away from the beauty that shone in front of him.

“You’re gorgeous.” Chanyeol finally pressed as he stared at the other man whose eyes seemed to shimmer when he chuckled into laughter. Even with his furrowed brows and that awkward look in his face, Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel mesmerized at the sight. Even the way the smaller laughed sounded so heavenly in Chanyeol’s ears that he couldn’t help but wonder.

Was he still alive or has he finally succumbed to insanity?

Has he gone mad and finally ascended into heaven?

The questions tickled his mind, but he was, in fact, curious about the sound that came from the smaller man who simply his head to leave him be.

But Chanyeol’s hand was faster than the man legs, it moved towards the other’s shoulder to stop him from leaving. There was a split second where Chanyeol feared for his life but the words that finally left his lips made the other curious.

“Do you… hear that sound?” Chanyeol questioned and the other guy nodded. 

They were in a musical institution; therefore, sound may be an understatement. For every room and every place in that institution, there was sound. Instruments were played, voices were heard and throughout the place; along the corridors, the hallways, and the rooms, there was a sound.

“No… That-That melody… It… It’s coming from you...” The other man’s eyes pondered for a moment. Eyes widening a bit as if questioning the taller’s motive upon asking that question.

Chanyeol watched as the guy closed his eyes as if listening to something other than the sound that emanated around that institution.

Chanyeol swore, that at that very moment, there was silence and the only melody he could hear was the sound that came from the man who stood before him. With his eyes shut close, he felt as if the man was inviting him. To do what? He wasn’t sure. But standing there with his eyes closed and looking like a perfect sculpture, Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel a greater pull from him. Like a magnetic force attracting his hand and body to the heavenly being in front of him.

Just as his hand reached out, inches away from touching the other man’s cheek, the smaller’s eyes opened with a glimmer that knocked Chanyeol off his feet. The smile that spread across his face meant that he heard the same thing Chanyeol did, or at least that’s what he hoped happened.

“You… I can hear your Soul Song.”

\--- 

They started with their names, which were mere words for others, but for them, it sounded like promises of forever. Each syllable slid into their tongue like it’s been in their vocabulary since the moment they knew how to breathe.

Chanyeol’s first courting was one that he will never forget. The way his eyes lit up whenever he saw Kyungsoo with a smile. The name would slip out of his lips like it was a chant that brought harmony inside his chest and no amount of noise was loud enough or horrible enough to scratch that melody out of his memory.

Kyungsoo, at first, didn’t embrace the idea of dating. What more of spending an eternity with someone just because of a melody that was unique to the two of them. But Chanyeol’s sincerity was true and though he still questioned the point of soulmates, he couldn’t deny that continuously seeing Chanyeol’s smile was something he’d like to have in his life.

Dates became moments that the two treasured, like his baby teeth that his mother saved from the first fallen one to the last. He valued memories just as much as the keepsakes that remind him of it.

He loved the times when Kyungsoo would smile at him when he did something silly or the times when he receives pinches from the smaller because he started teasing him about things that make no sense. Kyungsoo’s continuous mood swings were also something that Chanyeol valued and more than anything, he loved the smaller more each day for it.

In Chanyeol’s eyes, Kyungsoo himself was a keepsake he would much like to keep forever.

Thus, after the numerous amounts of time they shared, words of affection soon left their lips like nature’s natural course. Like a blossomed flower from a seed planted deep within. 

“I love you Kyungsoo-ya.” A smile. Chanyeol could never say his partner’s name without a smidge of excitement that jumps inside his chest like a rhythm that he just couldn’t stop, even though he would never ask it to. The voice inside Chanyeol’s head kept telling him that Kyungsoo was the one and he never did doubt it. Knowing more about Kyungsoo, he realized that despite Soul songs binding people’s souls together the people involved still needed to work hard to create a working relationship where both would be happy.

“I love you Chanyeol… So much.” Kyungsoo’s confession was the best thing Chanyeol heard in his entire life. 

And even though they were just words, hearing the evidence of what each other felt was something that sounded just as good as the melody that they heard from their partner’s soul. Words carried more evidence than others realize, and the most evident proof is a comforting melody that resonated from within. A beautiful sound that brought smiles into their lips.

And as a known prodigy, the founding of his soulmate had bloomed his talent into its peak where he managed to create music that pushed people to sympathize with him and feel emotions that mere words could never symbolize.

But even after all the fame and the people that praised him for his continuous hard work and effort, he couldn’t even begin to relax.

Despite touching people’s lives with his music, he wanted those people to hear what he heard. He wanted them to listen to the beauty of his muse. He wanted them to hear the perfection that was his soulmate.

But with his growing addiction to let others hear what he heard, he started to lose parts of himself that he didn’t know he could. 

And before long… He lost more than just his love for the art he had always loved.

\---

The melody that he once sought after, became a piece of relaxing music he came home to. He loved it even more so, for each waking moment of his life was spent seeing the most beautiful being laying down beside him. And even though they’ve spent every passing moment together, Chanyeol will never tire of listening to his lover’s melody. If anything, he loves pulling Kyungsoo closer to him into a tight embrace while listening to both his lover’s heartbeat that dances to the rhythm of his soul’s melody. He always wonders how he could possibly recreate that melody for everyone to hear. 

Just like how he loves Kyungsoo’s honesty, Chanyeol bares the purest of his emotions to the man he loves. Baring everything raw deep within his heart, where strong and weak emotions resided. Something that he’s never done to anyone, even to his own mother. Kyungsoo became his sanctuary where he let out the purest of his emotions, especially his feelings of love.

But… he never thought that the rawness of his emotions could become a dent in the melody that their hearts beat. His safe space slowly descended into a downward spiral and each growing day, he noticed how Kyungsoo had started to lose a part of himself along the way. For each passing moment, the melody seemed to worsen. The sadness amplified into a dreary depressive baritone that he could no longer ignore.

“Kyungsoo-ya…?” The name used to slip out of his lips bearing a smile that he couldn’t stop even if he tried. But today, it felt guarded. The way his tone raised into a question and a nervous defeat evident from the tremble of his voice.

The eyes that once glimmered with a beautiful shine, looked up to him with pain and horrendous panic. He could see how tired Kyungsoo was with the way his eyes drooped along with the bags under it, darker and bigger than what he last remembered. He saw the red puffiness on it and realized that he’s been crying—again.

“Please… Please stop.” He heard a faint whisper from his lover. A heart-wrenching cry emanating from Kyungsoo’s heart and Chanyeol could only look, frozen on his spot as he eyed his lover. It was tearing him apart to hear this pained cry from the smaller, somehow it made his lover even smaller than he originally was. He started hearing static rise behind the melody that usually comforted him and he couldn’t help but look at Kyungsoo with eyes that begged his lover to look at him.

“Kyungsoo...” He called out, a whisper that wanted to hold him. Wanting to caress his lover in his arms and tell him that it’s going to be alright; that he’ll try to make it better, that he’ll do what it takes to bring back the stars that once twinkled in his lover’s eyes.

But it wasn’t what Kyungsoo wanted.

He couldn’t understand the way his lover flinched away from him. The way Kyungsoo stepped back with the most painful look in his face. He couldn’t help but question what caused all of this.

“Stop… Please Chanyeol … Stop it...” He heard his lover beg.

And for the first time in his life, he felt his heart tremble in agony as he watched Kyungsoo withdraw on their bed with his hands reaching up to cover his ears. He watched as the most important person in his life tried to cut the tie that binds them together. Covering one’s ears meant that they want to stop listening to the Soul Song that pours out of their partner’s hearts.

And then Chanyeol realized what it was. He finally realized what was hurting the man he loved. But he realized it a little too late.

The beauty of the Soul Song was that it led you to the person who you will spend the rest of your life with. But the pleasing melody that brings you both together could also become a dreadful noise that tears you both apart.

And though Chanyeol continuously heard the melody from Kyungsoo’s heart, he never once thought of what Kyungsoo could hear.

~~~

Horrific drumming accompanied by a bass-thumping with broken chords and clangs of painfully high notes echoed in Kyungsoo’s mind despite his hands covering his ears. The static that plagued his lover’s melody continuously scratched his insides, ripping his heart apart and expecting it to stop producing his own melody.

Kyungsoo had always looked at Chanyeol as this strong fellow who could face the world with a smile on his face despite the painful reality that could knock him down to his knees. Never, in his wildest dreams, did he think of seeing Chanyeol lose the smile that he so dearly loved when he was inside his studio. He knew that his lover’s passion usually engulfed him into losing more of himself than he knew. So he did what he thought would help his lover.

Affirming Chanyeol’s existence as the man he loves felt like the best possible way to remind him of his worth and of how great a man he is. Kyungsoo loves him, after all. He even started learning how to cook so that when Chanyeol comes home, he’s welcomed with a lovely homecooked meal.

The brightness of Chanyeol’s smile returned and Kyungsoo wished nothing more in his life. To continue seeing that smile on his lover’s lips was the epitome of his happiness and he would give everything he could just to see that smile stay there. Of course, that’s not something he’s willing to blatantly share with Chanyeol. Kyungsoo loves him, after all, so a little secret here and there should be fine.

He’s been there, trying his best to help Chanyeol see that it’s not all that bad. He even started praising the guy about his music and the soothing sounds that he’s been producing. Perfection was going to be hard to achieve but he always encouraged Chanyeol that no matter what happens, he will accept his lover – flaws and all.

Then it happened.

The sweet thrum that echoed in Chanyeol’s chest used to lull him to sleep but as time passed, he started hearing a low and deep bass that resonated every once in a while. It didn't bother him at first, in fact, he found that it added a flare to the usual soothing music Chanyeol provided.

Kyungsoo saw how Chanyeol offered everything to him. It was as if the world wasn’t enough and he needed to give something more. He saw the glimmer of hope in Chanyeol’s eyes and thought that things were somehow starting to become better, that Chanyeol was slowly accepting the flaws that he had.

But then he noticed how Chanyeol started spending more of his time in his studio, a room in their house that he specifically created to breathe life into the music he heard. He told Kyungsoo that he wished for everyone else to hear the melody that was unique to his lover. He saw how Chanyeol slowly descended into an obsession to recreate the Soul Song that was only meant for them.

In turn, it became their biggest fight. Kyungsoo valued their Soul Song that no one else should hear but Chanyeol stated that if it brought him so much happiness, he should share it with others as well. It was a true honor for anyone to hear a Soul Song and that day was the last time Kyungsoo ever checked him in his studio. He still strongly believed that Chanyeol will never be able to make it because the song that their souls created for their soulmates were only for each other to hear.

Kyungsoo thought that giving Chanyeol space would let the other realize that it was an impossible venture but soon, it wasn’t just the bass he heard. A loud clang shocked him, dropping the plates while he was preparing for dinner. He immediately turned to look at Chanyeol and the guy looked back at him mirroring the shock in his face. Did Chanyeol hear that same clang he heard?

Day by day Kyungsoo saw how Chanyeol fed his insecurities with the way he questioned himself. Of why he can’t remake that beautiful sound that emanated from Kyungsoo. If it made him feel complete, he wanted everyone else to feel it. He wanted everyone else to know that feeling of finding your worth. He felt like it had to be his life’s purpose without realizing how he’s falling into a deep, deep abyss of darkness.

Sleep became a distant memory as Kyungsoo lost that serenity he once had. The bass started thumping louder without an actual beat, drums raging on and clangs of loud painful notes woke him time and time again. And yet he continued to hope that Chanyeol would start gaining back his confidence and that their love was enough and that others didn’t need to be his validation for the beauty of his compositions. What pushed him to finally break was the broken chords that destroyed the melody that once brought peace in his life.

And now, even with his hands covering his ears, he could still hear the noise from Chanyeol’s heart. It was horrifying and all he wants is for it to stop. He pleads to hear the old Chanyeol.

The man who held the melody that he once sought…

The melody that completed him.

~~~ 

Chanyeol's trip to the hospital with Kyungsoo answered all of his questions and more. He found out that Kyungsoo needed time away from him. The man he considered his life needed to be separated from him and the most painful part of it all was that he was the reason why they had to be apart.

He listened to the Doctor’s explanation while Kyungsoo was sleeping soundly on the bed. They had to sedate the poor guy who could barely hold onto his sanity when they finally arrived. He was immediately admitted into the hospital to recuperate due to the fatigue the burdened him.

The doctor who was looking after Kyungsoo’s health had to talk to Chanyeol outside of the room to ensure that the patient wouldn’t awaken into a catastrophic noise. He explained that people’s Soul Songs could be twisted into a horrifying noise when one’s heart dwells too much into feelings or emotions of negativity. Chanyeol’s eyes were glazed with tears as he looked at the man on the bed. To hear that he was the cause of Kyungsoo’s pain felt like he was a failure. He felt that he should’ve done better. If only he— If only he looked at Kyungsoo and concentrated on what they had instead of trying to reach something unattainable.

The dread slowly ate at him, but the Doctor told him that for Kyungsoo to get better soon he needed to fix himself. The melody that he kept looking for should also be the melody that he should wish Kyungsoo could hear. Filling his mind with thoughts of negativity won’t help his cause and it will only hinder Kyungsoo’s recovery.

With his mind filled with dangerous thoughts of unreachable goals and self-loathing, he was told to seek help to tune himself back. The help they offered may take time and it wasn’t an overnight solution where Chanyeol could just come in and everything will magically go away. He needed to work it out without losing the will to continue. 

It may take days, weeks, months or, painfully so, it may even take years. But it all depends on Chanyeol and how he faces his own negativity. He needs to cut it right from the source and his conviction must not falter or else he might not be able to set foot anywhere near his lover.

\--- 

_“Chanyeolie...”_ Kyungsoo whispered on the other line, spreading a smile on Chanyeol’s lips the moment he heard his lover’s sweet voice. It hasn’t changed despite the pain he has inflicted on him.

4 days and 8 hours had passed after he last saw Kyungsoo. He counted it all even to the very first second of their time apart. 

The first night of his time alone was dreadful and he had to turn to alcohol just to set foot in dreamland. If the night was rough, the first morning of his wake without his lover beside him was the hardest morning he has ever had. He immediately missed Kyungsoo’s smell and the way the smaller smiled at him to start his day right. His first day alone was mostly spent in their bedroom where Kyungsoo’s presence was the strongest. He sunk into a state where all he could think of was Kyungsoo and the melody that continuously radiated from his lover. He wondered, then, how Kyungsoo could’ve possibly hold it all in just for the sake of staying with him. And yet there he was… filled with thoughts that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. The if only’s in his mind didn’t help but it sure poked on the wounds he had.

Aside from the bedroom, he spent time in the kitchen. Pulling a chair to sit at the island counter to stare at the kitchen. He remembered how he often watched Kyungsoo cook. His mind floating to the memory of how their friends became Kyungsoo’s Guinea pig because he refused to feed Chanyeol anything than the perfect meals he now makes. Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile to himself yet, there, on the counter were evidence of teardrops that had fallen from his eyes.

And though he kept going to specific places in their house to remember Kyungsoo, there was a place he refused to look at. The studio became a place he avoided, simply because it was the source of his madness. It used to give him so much happiness to simply create music, but he let his obsession to provide for others take over and now look at where they were. He kept looking to make strangers smile yet he caused tremendous hurt to someone that he truly loved and cared for.

Therapy was entirely different from what he thought it would be. Though the sessions changed day by day, there was something he was quite proud of, it was the approving words that his therapist told him. He was doing better than expected and it was evident that he just needed this wake-up call to remind him that his love for Kyungsoo exceeds any other stranger’s satisfaction over his music.

4 days and 8 hours since he last saw Kyungsoo. And yet each second that passed, he never did forget his lover’s melody that had been engraved in his mind.

_“Kyungsoo-ya...”_ Chanyeol choked a sob, despite the smile on his lips he couldn't help but feel tears escape his eyes as he finally heard from the man that completed him. He felt guilt starting to consume him but as Kyungsoo spoke, he felt his heartbeat relax into a calm thump in his chest. The once erratic heartbeat that plagued him for days slowed down as he listened to his lover’s smooth low voice.

_“I love you my Chanyeol… I love you… with all my heart and soul… I love you despite being unable to perfect that melody that you keep trying to perfect. I love you even though you hog the blankets every time we sleep. I love you even though you always beat yourself up over the most ridiculous things. And Chanyeol… Flaws and all, I will still be in love with you. Because loving you, completes me and I will never ask for anything more because you’re the best and the only one for me. I hope that you see this and that one day… I’ll also be enough for you.”_

Kyungsoo’s voice was solemn, something that Chanyeol always found incredibly calming. When hearing the words his lover stated, he knew there was truth to it. Kyungsoo hated lying and if anything, he hated anything sappy so for him to talk this way was something Chanyeol will definitely cherish. For a fact, he knew that Kyungsoo was getting better if he could base it off the melody behind his voice. And somehow, that was enough for Chanyeol. Knowing that his lover was getting better and by then he made up his mind. He was going to do that too.

_“I’m sorry I didn’t realize what I was doing to you. But Kyungsoo-ya… I’ll do everything I can to make it better. I love you Soo… I’m sorry for hurting you, but I will never give up on us. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms again. I love you. I love you so much.”_

~~~ 

Kyungsoo took a deep breath when he was finally released from the hospital. The first thought in his head was to surprise Chanyeol and pull him close into a tight embrace. And if his lover ever suffocates, he’ll just have to endure it because he missed the love of his life.

But everything suddenly turned dark when he finally stepped out of his room. He squinted his eyes before realizing that a hand was on top of his eyes and his first reaction was to turn around.

He was welcomed with a smiling Chanyeol who held a basket of food. His eyes immediately sparkled at the sight and his signature heart smile brightened his face. He looked up at his lover who was grinning widely at him.

“You… You’re gorgeous.” Chanyeol blurted out and Kyungsoo just chuckled before nodding. “I am, aren’t I?” Chanyeol smiled as his arm pulled the smaller closer to him. His lips finally touching Kyungsoo’s heart-shaped ones again. Emotions of overjoyed satisfaction filling him to the brim and he could feel his eyes glaze with tears. But he wasn’t about to cry in the hospital—it may have to wait until there’s only the two of them.

“I missed you.” Chanyeol hummed in a satisfied tone as he pulled his lips away from Kyungsoo just to transfer the kiss to the smaller’s forehead. When he felt Kyungsoo’s arms around his torso, he couldn’t help but tighten his hug on the other too. The two didn’t need words to this time to verify what they felt because they could clearly hear that new melody that soothed their souls. Pulling back, they both looked at each other’s eyes and saw that same glimmer they had when they first met. Chanyeol’s hand reached for Kyungsoo’s cheek and the latter closed his eyes as he rested his skin against his lover’s. The smile that spread across his lips was enough for Chanyeol to feel pride in himself.

“I… I can hear your Soul Song again.”

Chanyeol will never forget the tears that fell from Kyungsoo’s eyes that day because despite the waterworks there was a smile that told Chanyeol that everything was going to be synchronized once again.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first "published" ChanSoo fic. I hope you guys enjoy reading it! If you like it, don't forget to leave Kudos or Comments. It would mean a lot to me if you did. thank you!


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